Abstract: Liquid crystals represent a vast and diverse class of anisotropic soft matter materials which are intermediate between isotropic liquids and crystalline solids. The mathematicians work on the theory of liquid crystals by its intriguing mathematical structure and connections to different branches of mathematics. A wide spectrum of mathematical problems of Liquid Crystals will be considered, related to the modeling of liquid crystals with varying detail and at different length scales. One set of problems to be considered is the relationship between these different levels of modeling; for example how one can make a rigorous passage from molecular/statistical descriptions to continuum theories. On the continuum level, we will address the dynamics of various liquid crystal phases and the systematic derivation of various equations of motion, and will aim to clarify the accuracy of different descriptions and their applicability to different liquid crystal systems. Special consideration will be given to the existence, uniqueness and regularity of the solutions of these equations, as well as the bifurcation and properties of equilibrium and periodic solutions and dynamic switching, and to how well the equations describe phase transitions. An important problem is to find effective approximations which can be used to overcome the challenges posed by the complexity of liquid crystal phases with biaxial and more complicated order, which are becoming important in emerging applications. 

报告人简介: 张平文, 1966年7月生。北京大学数学科学学院教授, 教育部长江特聘教授, 杰出青年基金获得者. 现任北京大学数学科学学院常务副院长, “数学及应用”教育部重点实验室主任, 科学与工程计算中心常务副主任; 中国工业与应用数学学会副理事长兼学术委员会主任, 中国计算数学学会副理事长. 学术期刊《计算物理》副主编, SINUM等十余种国内外杂志的编委. 先后获得北京市“五四”奖章, 北京市“师德标兵”, 首都劳动奖章, 教育部首届高等学校优秀青年教师教学科研奖励计划“青年教师奖”, 冯康科学计算奖, 霍英东教育基金会第七届高等院校青年教师奖 (研究类) 一等奖, 与汤涛、李若和汤华中合作的项目“基于调和映射的移动网格方法及其应用”获得教育部高校科学技术奖自然科学一等奖, 教育部创新团队“偏微分方程数值计算及其应用”带头人, 北京大学优秀共产党员标兵, 2009年入选“新世纪百千万人才工程国家级人选”. 2011年被邀请在第七届国际工业与应用数学大会上作一小时报告. 主要从事复杂流体多尺度建模与计算, 自适应方法等方面研究, 发表论文九十余篇.

Date&Time: October 9, 2013 (Wednesday), 15:00-16:00
Location: 606 Conference Room, No.3 Heqing Road, Haidian District